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Russian Interest in Central Asian Water
February 1st, 2009
Via Terra Daily, an interesting report on Russia’s increasing interest in Central Asia’s water resources. As the article notes “…Within the “Stans” — former Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — an added element in the matrix is water, used by Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan largely to generate hydroelectric power, while the downstream states […]
Read more »Troubled Waters Between El Paso & Ciudad Juarez
January 26th, 2009
Via the Border Wall As Architecture blog, some information on the water problems at the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez border resulting from the fact that they share an aquifer and surface source (the Rio Grande), but have few effective ways to prevent over-use and/or contamination. As the article notes: “…An arid landscape and climate as well […]
Read more »Central Asian Water: The Thirsty Dragon, The Aral Sea, and Ongoing Dilemmas
January 23rd, 2009
As we have discussed in this blog previously, Central Asian countries are divided into water suppliers (the mountainous countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and water consumers (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). But the Central Asian water crisis is not just about the fate of the Aral Sea. It is about the management of the entire basin, including […]
Read more »“The West Will Run Dry”: U.S. To Tap Mexico?
January 20th, 2009
Via The Denver Post, an interesting article regarding recent moves between the U.S. and Mexico to ramp up discussions over efforts to enable downstream states to build desalting plants in Mexico that could provide water, albeit expensively, to both Mexico and the U.S. As the article notes, they are also launching talks for Mexico to […]
Read more »South Africa’s ‘Strategic Water Intervention’ in Lesotho
January 11th, 2009
Via The Water Is Life blog, an interesting look at the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, an intricate network of tunnels and dams diverting water from Lesotho’s mountains to South Africa which South African officials have described as a “strategic intervention to ensure the water security of the country’s richest province Gauteng, which is expected to […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Science’s Concerns Over South-To-North
January 9th, 2009
Via Yale’s Environment 360 blog, an interesting article on one geologist’s concerns about China’s massive Yangtze River diversion project and how difficult it can be to challenge a government decision in China. As the report notes: “…his mission was more profound: to investigate the geological and hydrological conditions of the Yangtze River basin – and […]
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